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New life in Shanghai! Expats share their stories with joys and hopes

The streets of Shanghai are full of vitality these days, and we are happy to see the familiar scenery of so many joyful foreign faces among the crowds.To get more news about shanghai sharelife, you can citynewsservice.cn official website.

As a metropolitan city, Shanghai has always appreciated the contributions made by people coming from afar, and extended a welcome hand toward newcomers.

It has been four months since January 8 when Shanghai optimized the management measures for inbound travelers after China downgraded COVID-19 to Category B from Category A.

Also on Friday, the World Health Organization said that the COVID-19 pandemic no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO's highest alert level.

During the past four months, Shanghai has tried hard to create an even friendlier environment for expatriates to live and work. Shanghai Daily also offered a lot of practical services on our new platform City News Service (CNS), as part of the measures. And the efforts have been paid off. Although the number of newcomers is not immediately available, we can see them on the streets, in the shops, restaurants and offices.

Shanghai Daily has followed these newcomers, especially those hoping to make Shanghai their new home and develop their careers in the city. We set up a column called "2023 newcomers" to find how these people fare, and here is a wrap up of what we have found.

They come from different countries, with different occupations in different industries, and even speak different languages to express their high expectations toward the future. But one thing is in common – it is they are confident of their choice of Shanghai.The Italian theatrical director Marco Carniti was among the first group of foreign artists to come to Shanghai after China opened its borders following the relaxation of COVID-19 rules in January.

"I feel very lucky and grateful to be here," Carniti told Shanghai Daily in the interview. "The warm welcome I received at the airport made me feel like a rock star."
Former Japanese women's national football team manager Asako Takakura has set an ambitious goal after being named head coach of Shanghai SHRCB FC – winning each match in the 2023 CWSL season while aiming for the championship.

And she has won the heart of her players in Shanghai as well as the deep respect from many football fans since her arrival in January.

"I did have some hesitation due to pandemic-related concern when receiving the invitation from Shanghai last year," Takakura noted. "But I also got to know that Shanghai has a strong team with a glorious history. So eventually I decided to come here and give myself a challenge."For Woo Young Lee, a South Korean, who moved to the city in January, Shanghai is a special place, which integrates culture, history, modernity, and is unique for innovation.

"Shanghai is a global city with a diversity of people, diversity of culture and diversity of time," Lee told Shanghai Daily.

"When I arrived in Shanghai, I was surprised that the present and future in the city mixed together and was well harmonized, in this very developed place."

Lee and his wife have two daughters, twins, who are 15 years old. The two soon made many Chinese friends in Shanghai.